At Kansas senators’ request, committee will not consider Steve Six’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals

Wichita  U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., on Thursday said he couldn’t support former Kansas Attorney General Steve Six’s nomination to the federal bench because of Six’s position on the new federal health care reform law and an abortion investigation.

“Based on the nominee’s own testimony and responses to questions, I found significant difficulty in recommending the nominee to this lifelong appointment to the appellate court position,” Roberts said in a statement to the Lawrence Journal-World.

While attorney general, Six, a Democrat, said after analyzing the health care reform bill signed into law by President Barack Obama that he could find no constitutional defect in it. Six declined to file a lawsuit challenging the law, a move that many said helped his Republican opponent Derek Schmidt, who won the election.

About Six’s opinion on the law, Roberts said, “While this view runs counter to the overwhelming belief of many Kansans, and the decisions by two federal judges, it points to a larger issue concerning the proper role of government in our lives.”

Roberts added, “And with all due respect, the average person can identify the constitutional defects of Obamacare.”

Roberts also said he was troubled by Six’s answers before the Senate Judiciary Committee about an investigation that had been started by former Attorney General Phill Kline, an anti-abortion advocate, into a Planned Parenthood clinic. Anti-abortion groups have opposed Six.

Roberts said Six evaded the case and left responsibility for it to a subordinate.

“As the Attorney General, the nominee was fully responsible for the decisions and actions under his leadership, but instead sought to distance himself,” Roberts said of Six. Six had testified that he handled the issue properly.

Six did not immediately respond to an email Thursday seeking comment.

Senators’ opposition

Earlier Thursday, the chairman Senate Judiciary Committee said he would not consider Obama’s nomination of Six to the federal appeals court because of opposition from Roberts and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.

The terse statement from Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, came as the committee was set to vote on Six’s nomination to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Roberts and Moran sent a letter Monday to Leahy asking that the judiciary committee not take up Six’s nomination. It gave no reason for their opposition.

“Whereas we have previously stated our opposition to this nomination, we are respectfully requesting that the Committee not process this nominee,” the Kansas senators wrote. “We appreciate and respect the committee process in vetting all federal court nominees. We regret that we cannot support Mr. Six.”

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show Roberts had initially indicated to the committee in the so-called blue slips that put it up for a hearing that he approved of Six’s nomination, while Moran initially reserved judgment until after the hearing. The nomination would never have gotten this far had they initially opposed it.

Leahy sent letters to both Roberts and Moran this month saying he was surprised to learn on the eve of the committee’s consideration of the nomination last month that the Kansas senators did not support the nomination. Leahy asked the home state senators how they would like the committee to now proceed on it.

He noted in his letters that it was his understanding both senators were consulted by the White House before Obama nominated Six, and the president believed he had selected a consensus nominee at the time he made the nomination.

“This type of reversal of position by a home state senator on a nomination has rarely occurred,” Leahy wrote Roberts. “As I have expressed to Sen. (Charles) Grassley, the Committee’s ranking member, in my view no new material information emerged during the course of our review of the nomination, his testimony at his confirmation hearing, or in his answers to multiple rounds of written follow up questions, and certainly none that was disqualifying.”

Leahy also noted in his letters to both Kansas senators that Six has received significant bipartisan support: 29 Republican and Democratic state attorneys general; Robert Stephan, the Republican attorney general of Kansas for 16 years; former Judge Deanell Reece Tacha, whose seat on the 10th Circuit Six was nominated to fill; and from current and former deans of the Kansas University School of Law.

Explanations requested

The opposition from the home state senators to Six’s nomination has also spawned several editorials in Kansas newspapers demanding Roberts and Moran give their reasons for opposing the nomination of the man credited with straightening out an office that was left in shambles after former Attorney General Phill Kline’s prosecution of abortion clinics led to an ethics investigation against Kline for alleged prosecutorial misconduct, and a sex scandal that drove former Attorney General Paul Morrison from office.

Moran did not respond to a request from the Journal-World to explain his position about Six’s nomination.

Roberts' statement

“While I may disagree with a judicial nominee’s qualifications, I have tried in my career to refrain from unnecessary commentary that may be hurtful to a citizen who is seeking to honorably serve our country. That said, I will honor requests about why I could not support Mr. Stephen Six for the appellate court given that his nomination now has been withdrawn.

“First, I felt it was important for the President’s nominee to have a hearing so that he could provide his views and additional information to senators on the Judiciary Committee.

“However, after reviewing his testimony and written responses to the committee’s questions, I found his answers very troubling. Notably, as Kansas Attorney General, he failed to see any Constitutional defects with the newly passed health care reform law. While this view runs counter to the overwhelming belief of many Kansans, and the decisions by two federal judges, it points to a larger issue concerning the proper role of government in our lives. And with all due respect, the average person can identify the constitutional defects of Obamacare.

“It also came to light that during a major drug bust investigation, as Attorney General, the nominee deferred the approval for a wiretap application to a subordinate instead of complying with current law requiring the principle prosecuting attorney to sign off. In this age of privacy concerns, deferral of authority is not only a mistake but also is a serious misjudgment with real consequences.

“During the more controversial questions of the hearing concerning the investigation of Planned Parenthood, the nominee evaded any role in ongoing cases and, in fact, deferred responsibility to a subordinate. As the Attorney General, the nominee was fully responsible for the decisions and actions under his leadership, but instead sought to distance himself. The nominee’s responses to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) concerning that case deferred any responsibility or role. However, Sen. Grassley’s questioning of the nominee’s role in the ongoing legal actions pointed out his office’s efforts to quash a subpoena of records.

“I have a constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal courts are fully staffed by qualified judges. As a United States Senator, I take my constitutional responsibility seriously and base any judgment on the facts presented. Based on the nominee’s own testimony and responses to questions, I found significant difficulty in recommending the nominee to this lifelong appointment to the appellate court position”.

Your insanity is entertaining. Do go on, please. As an aside - saying that a person is a "target to be vanquished" is generally a poor idea. In all seriousness: You sound pretty violent and delusional. Please go get some mental health help.

wow, talk about partisan politics. moran and roberts are of the same ilk as brownback, six is one of the most qualified and best judges we have ever had in this area and these 2 conservitive idiots work against the best interests of Kansans. shame on them

As you can see I understand how reply works, I can understand your confusion. For if I was a big enough moron to not understand how to make a post on a comment then I would be the perfect kind of moron to defend the two super morons we sent to DC to represent us in the senate.

"good"?????? These two limbaughesque idiots are an embarrasment, a pair of no account low life jerks, pandering the the Republican Terrorist Party and the anti abortion freaks who cannot abide by the simple fact that abortion is legal in the United States These self -styled guardians of everyone's business feel that their religious fantisies are more important that qualified, competant and experienced medical care experts. A pox on both of their houses.

Unfortunately those "good" people who elected them will vote for them over and over, ad nauseum, and be proud of it. Sad state...Kansas. What next, secession? Oh, the possibilites for the pledge of allegiance or, for that matter, the republic's name.

I, personally, in my own name, and with email, phone and address information included, have sent numerous emails to both of these buffoons. I received the standard "thank you for asking" and nothing else for all these weeks since the Brownbackistan cabal announced the Kochs'--I mean, their--intentions to not support Six's confirmation. There is no excuse for these puppets not to at least answer my, and everyone else's, request for reasons, other than that they are so enmeshed in Tea Party politics that they've lost their moral compasses. I am ashamed to be a Kansas right now, and each and every one os us in this state should be the same, regardless of our politics.

I am sick to my stomach that there is not a thing we can do as thinking Kansans to stop this steamroller until the next election. I implore all of you to think deeply and seriously as to your own political leanings or convictions, because I have no doubt that, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or whatever, you will all reach the same conclusion: this is partisan, this is wrong, and this is not what we want from our state representatives. We've already suffered the slings and arrows of the "evolution" debate, the senseless loss of help for so many of our needy, the reallocating of our tax dollars from working Kansans to out-of-state brownshirts, and so much more.

Kansas is better than this, and we had better wake up to smell the (Brown) roses before we lose it all. Jim Jones and Idi Amin would be so proud of our state's direction now. We have to stop the runaway train, and we have to do it now.

I would think more of your post but I am not seeing any intelligent people on this thread. Considering there are several people that think Roberts or any republican senator gives a crap what Lawrence thinks. I am sure they would just as soon hand you over to California.

You have got to be kidding. His claim to fame was he refused to uphold Kansas law. Not exactly a great recommendation for an AG or judge. All Six was is partisan. Funny that so many of you are up in arms about our Senators using the same methods as Six. His partisanship is ok, because it reflects your beliefs. Quite the double standard.

Too mad for rational thought at this time. To block without a reason is the most cowardly action taken by these senators. It truly amazes me the steps our representatives have taken. I am a registered Republican and I am mortified by their actions. (To be clear, I did not vote for Moran but I did vote for Roberts. I also voted for Six as AG.)

Steve Six is the BEST candidate for the job. He was the best candidate for the AG position too. This is party politics at it's worst. Time to start writing/calling our reps.

What a joke. The only judges we want are bible beating, anti-abortion nuts who want to save every baby while implicitly disposing of every social program recipient (especially in Lawrence), and executing every convicted murderer they can get their hands on. Unfortunately they can't hear our message because their ears are so far up the Kochs' a$$ there is no sound.

The politics in this country get more ridiculous by the day. The only good thing I've seen so far this week is Arizona's Senator McCain's reference to the Tea Party Hobbits in response to Bachman's idiocy. It was snarkalicious!

Apart from everything else, how is it even possible that the Senate Judiciary Committee gets a letter from two senators saying "Don't go through the nomination process with this person", cites NO REASONS AT ALL WHY THEY SHOULDN'T, and the response to said letter is "Okay, we won't." And no explanation of THAT either? HOW?

I mean, WTF? Do Moran and Roberts have pictures of the Annual Secret Senate Judiciary Committee Orgy that they threatened to send out via Twitter or something? Why does this committee care what Moran and Roberts even think? Especially when they won't say WHY they think what they think?

It's called "senatorial courtesy," and has been practiced by both parties in power for a very long time. The senior senator from a state is asked if he or she supports the nomination of a federal judge who will be assigned to that state. Agree or disagree, it is nothing new.

That was my first response - what the Hell? How can the two #)&(&@##s derail this nomination all on their own? What happened to the separation of powers? Not to mention, the cowards apparently said he was o.k. at the outset. Maybe they planned it that way, so they could get this cheap shot at the Obama administration. Cowards, liars and #)(&@#(&# jerks! They won't get my vote.

What an abject disgrace. Blind partisan politics, and they don't even feel the need to articulate a trumped-up "reason" for their opposition. Can't wait till 2014 when we've got a shot to get rid of at least one of these pliant tools.

While I don't think that Republicans are sitting behind closed doors, twisting their mustache's and conspiring ways to sabotoge anything and everything that even hints of Democrats or liberalism, I do feel that there is a defacto undercurrent for their actions that seems determined to achieve total political party dominance.

Actions like this (from the article) are examples where that undercurrent is more visible.

Other examples include when Mitch McConnell openly declares that his number one goal as Senate minority leader is to make sure Obama was defeated in 2012. Or when GOP members of the House are are willing to consider causing a U.S. default if it means they don't "lose" to the Senate.

"While I don't think that Republicans are sitting behind closed doors, twisting their mustache's and conspiring ways to sabotoge anything and everything that even hints of Democrats or liberalism, . . ."

They're not sitting behind closed doors, they're doing it right out in the open. And we are letting ourselves be shut out of the governing process.

I am writing to let you know I greatly disapprove of the overwhelmingly partisan stance you took by blocking the nomination of Mr. Six. I am further angered by your inability to express your reasons for this block to the people who elected you. You answer to Kansans, but either you know you acted unethically and don't want to illuminate that fact, or you have forgotten the idea that you represent the people of our great state.

In one single action, you encompassed everything that is wrong with today's politics; you were biased in your partisanism, cloaked in your reasoning and you won't answer to your constituants.

You, and politicians like you on both sides of the aisle, are going to keep our country's turmoil running at a fever pitch. I wish you would try to find a common ground, solve issues and realize that you answer to your constituants.

Just yet another attack on Douglas County!! OMG... this whole thing is frightening to say the least! And yet again, ask questions, and you get NO answers!! God help the state of Kansas under the Brownback regime!!

larrytowngirl, I wouldn't take this as an attack on Douglas County, but against the Democratic Party in general, regardless of the nominee's home state. If Six were a Republican, those letters would never have been sent.

Shame on both Moran and Roberts...I just cannot believe the level of partisanship that continues to destroy our political system. Steve Six is an excellent choice for any judicial panel...I will remember this come election time.

What does that even mean? The republican party craps on me and you with dealings like this. Giving an oral approval and then, right before the nomination, writing a letter condemning a person they previously approved is deceitful at best. this is why no one has faith in our government today. At least man up and tell people why.

Anything to keep Obama a one term President they say. Well, you are killing this country by doing that! Really, some of these middle-earth hobbits are way worse than the terrorists that are trying to kill us. At least with a terrorist you know what you are going to get but these "people" hide behind an American flag pin on their suit jacket, spin their dreadful lies that idoit Americans believe and are taking this country down by using fear and religion.
When I took my oath before joining the Corps, I promised to defend this country from all threats, foreign and domestic, well, we have a rather large domestic one right now. It is not a good feeling when one sees their beloved country (one that I signed up to fight for) slipping so far away because of the actions of a few (when compared to the whole US population)
"We're workin' our jobs, collect our pay
Believe we're gliding down the highway, when in fact we're slip sliding away"

I have sent e-mails to both of these doctrinaire idiots that the clueless and addled voters of Kansas have sent to Washington. Please do the same, For your information I am including the text of the e-mails I have sent to our Republican ATerrorist Party senators:

"Senator Moron/Roberts: I am completely disgusted, angry and pissed off at your opposition of Seven Six to the nomination to the Federal Bench. Mr. Six is supremely qualified for this position and a dgreat representative from Kansas. Your panderindg to the abortion freaks and Governer Brownback is deplorable, disgusting, dishonorable to Kansas and a great judge. I will work ceasely to have you removed from your embarrasing representation of the state of Kansas due to your political agenda of destroying a fine and competant person from this federal job."

Please do all the residents of Kansas a big favor and send a heads-up to these two abortion-addled idiots. News Flash!!!!!!Abortion is LEGAL in the United States. Idiot and pig-headed senators are NOT!

"This message is to let you know that I received your email. Your thoughts are important to me and I will respond as soon as possible. I welcome you to use the following services to stay connected and to contribute your ideas and feedback:

Why don't you do a little investigating of this, since you'll never read about the reasons in the Journal World?
It is a shame, since Six seems the least abhorrent of the whole Trifecta bunch, but he is the one they left holding the bag.

It's nice to see forum members asserting their rights in contacting these cowardly Senators with their views, but it's a sad day for America in that hearing from their constituents just doesn't matter to them anymore.

They just don't care about us; only about themselves and their egos...and people like SouthWestKs from North Central Missouri.

"SouthWestKs (anonymous) says: I love this!! Not smart enough to figure out that Six stiffed us, meaning most Kansas's.. Got his butt beat good for reelection.. Now we don't have to worry about him beening a judge and making law!!"

The reason that the Senators care about people like SouthWestKs and myself is because we hold the same values and beliefs that they do. We are the ones that elected them and we expect them to represent us and our beliefs. The fact that you and the other moonbats are beside yourselves is very comical.

For every nasty email that you goofs have sent, the Senators have received ten thanking them for upholding the values of normal Kansans.

"We are the ones that elected them and we expect them to represent us and our beliefs."

So you are saying that when they were both inaugurated to the Senate, they swore that they would represent only like-minded folk such as yourself? If you believe that, you should try to find a time machine and move back in time to 1930's Germany.

People like you are no different than the Taliban; you just wear a confederate cap instead of a turban. All legislatures are supposed to represent all of their constituents you dingbat. Go back to school so that you can learn your history and your laws, you sheepish fellow you.

The actions taken by you and Sen. Roberts in blocking consideration of Steve Six's nomination for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals warrants an explanation.

Without a reasonable explanation, it comes across as a purely political stunt aimed simply at thwarting any and all things related to the Democratic party.

If you and Sen. Roberts have a reasonable explanation for blocking committee action, then you owe it to me and the rest of your constituency in making that explanation public.

If there is no reasonable explanation, and you and Sen. Roberts are denying Mr. Six consideration, irregardless of his qualifications, simply to be a thorn in the side of your political opposition, then you are failing me and the rest of your constituency as an elected representative.

Please show us you take your position seriously enough to keep informed those who you represent: What are your motivations in blocking Mr. Six's nomination?

There is no one more eithical or with higher moral standards than Steve Six. I know he will get another position some place else, and it will again, be Kansas's loss. Our state is being destroyed, and it's not slowly either. "What's the matter with Kansas?" The Republican Governor and legislature.

Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran = A couple of clodhoppers with some money....much of which they've obtained via the public dole and off the backs of the working men and women of Kansas. Too, you can bet your paycheck that Brownback is an integral aspect of this silliness. Clodhoppers the lot.

"But the development delighted abortion opponents who claim Six did not do enough to prosecute abortion providers in the state."
That is a sad excuse for reporting: there's a big difference between "did not do enough" and what Six actually did. Then tried to blame it on his staff.

"That means Obama, like his two predecessors, could nominated someone from another state to that appeals court seat if he considers the Kansas senators are obstructing his nominees."

Which is exactly what I have written to the President to so request. And to be "loud" about doing it. Let Colorado have another judge on the Court. They have way more people than the Sunflower Koch-istan.

I urge others to do so as well (not that I'm holding my breath that "fair" Obama will learn to play politics at this late point in life).

Pat Roberts is a hypocrite of the highest order, whining in 2003 and 2005 that Bush nominees to the bench might face fillibuster. Now he's slinking around, passing notes to torpedo a nominee for no reason other than to be an obstruction.

This is just another example that proves the Kan-do spirit of Kansas politics is dead. Nancy Kassebaum and Bob Done ALWAYS worked with politicians on both sides of the aisle. Now, our two US senators may as well be from states like Texas or South Carolina. Geesh.

it doesn't sound as if the senators made a decision, it appears they were told to stop this after the fact, this was not a "right" or brave decision to stop a nomination with no reason, it was a cowardly political move to further the far right agenda.

Whether it's this judicial nomination or the debt crisis or any one of many topics, I'll say it again. The number one problem in government is the inability of Democrats and Republicans to get along well enough for the government to function in the best interests of the American people.
The Constitution makes no mention of a two party system and it certainly does not say anything about a Democratic party or a Republican party. It's high time we the voters exercise our right to vote for people who will act in the best interests of the American people, non-Democrats and non-Republicans.

That's humorous. Because the Tea Party is just full of reasoned thought. Because the right cares so much about science or other reasonable things. Because the right loves any form of education, especially higher education where critical and reasoned thought are often derived. Yep.

the "flag" you fly.....imply, "made in the U.S.A."? Of what value is such a thingy if it was made in China or India? The word hypocrite (as well as jackass) comes to mind....not to mention stupid.

However, we must learn to forgive the uninformed....you don't have a clue where that flag was coded so you can't even begin to answer the question or take the bet. Kindly do not mistake my earnestness for emotion. Strikes me that a poster who needs to wave a flag around is the one being "emotional". shrug

PS: I also do NOT like having all these soldier boys in uniform walking around out in the open in the land of the free, and the home of the brave. Have we become a militarized state at this point in the road?

I have all day and all night to do this. To begin with, Khe Sanh was a HOUSE PARTY when compared to An Loc, April 1972.

Next, it is very clear and plain.....you learned very little from your exploitation and seemingly bought into same which is typical of a jarhead. I am glad I went VVAW and have no...read ZERO .... contact with the VA...what a waste of money on the American tax payer. Welfare to the max, right, Mr. I Fly The Flag???

The costs the American taxpayer with associated with VA "benefits" need to be closely examined and then removed on a large scale basis. Talk about "entitlement programs">>>????? Now that VA give away is one of the most costly.

Senators Roberts and Moron have an obligation to attempt to make some sort of sop to their extremist constituients given the current situation where fellow tea bag Republicans in the U.S..Congress are making damned fools and idiots of themselves.

To say that this decision by these two rabid Republican Terrorists is not political is to say that the President of the United States is a Kenyan citizen, another issue that most of these Republican wonks adhere to.

Robert's rationale is hypocritical. I witness Six's work. Six personally took cases to trial in several counties in Kansas. He was the first AG in 35 years to do so. He took a first degree murder to trial in Osbourne county and won. Another notable case was a murder case in Butler county. The defendant was convicted. I personally watched much of the trial and Six directed, cross examined, and gave the closing argument in that case.

Six further took an active role in the Great Bend murder just before leaving office. He announced that he was going to personally handle that case.

His successor, Derrick Schmidt, has passed along the Planned Parenthood case to "subordinates" by hiring a $300 outside firm at taxpayer expense. Will Roberts commit not to not endorsing Schmidt him in Schmidt's next campaign? After all, by Robert's logic, Schmidt is simply passing the responsibility to a subordinate. I am waiting for Robert's statement that he will not be supporting Derrick Schmidt in the next campaign due to his deferment of responsibility on the hard cases.

Six was a good AG and would have been a great judge for the 10th circuit.

You are correct on all counts. This was politics at its worst. Robert's has been a hypocrite for years. Robert's is a bully even among his own party. Kansas would be much better off with Six as a Judge than we are with the likes of Robert's as a Senator. Shame on Kansas if we elect Robert's again.

Steve Six has an excellent legal mind, moral integrity, and would have been a excellent choice for the 10th Circuit seat. Shame on those we voted to be our voice for Kansas. They did us a great injustice and we should remember it come the next election. They have lived with their power and privilege for so long they have forgotten their job and will not listen to their constituents. They will only get the message when the tally board shows that someone new recieved more votes.

Based on your posts, there's no reason for you to call yourself "notleft_notright." I know you want to feel special as some kind of unique moderate independent. You're not. You're a right wing conservative.

Out of how many? I'm thinking if the majority of federal judges felt that the health care bill was unconstitutional, it would not have been put into effect.

"the average person can identify the constitutional defects"

Really? Apparently the majority of judges who had any say in the matter were not able to identify any defects. So, that means that Roberts thinks that the average person knows more about constitutional law than most judges responsible for interpreting it. Hmm, what does that say about Roberts?

What a surprise -- Roberts -- former head of the US Senate Intelligence committee when it was totally unable to find facts about the horrible WMDs before the Iraq invasion -- either being stupid or being lied to or being purchased by Cheney; and Moran, running to the right wing, ending all rational thought and getting paid by Brownback by having his wife put on the Board of Regents, even though she is an employees of the Board (hey no conflict of interest there)... We are screwed. They will do anything to take back their government (you know, white, male, fake religious believers) and get their money sent by Kochs. Yup. That it.

....and "....the rest of the world...." has good and valid reasons to draw the conclusions you infer......: Kansas ".....is inhabited by total ignorant rednecks. And they keep electing stupider people every election.....".

As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Sen. Pat Roberts’s (R-KS) duty is “to provide vigilant legislative oversight over the intelligence activities of the United States” and “to assure that such activities are in conformity with the Constitution and laws of the United States.” But on the most important intelligence issues facing Americans – such as the manipulation of Iraq intelligence, warrantless domestic spying, and torture – Roberts has transformed his committee into a “Senate Coverup Committee” for the Bush administration.

IF you are anti-abortion and you feel that it is the killing of babies with heartbeats... then it is a pretty big issue. IF you believe this, then there is a lot of innocent babies being killed. IF you believe this, then I respect those who are willing to do everything they can to make it as rare as possible. Even though it has been deemed legal by the Supreme Court, it does not mean that Kansas politicians cannot do everything their power to reduce the number of abortions.

Seriously, if they wanted to do that, they could. They don't. They play pro lifers like a fiddle. You want to reduce abortions? Provide more social relief services, make it feasible to raise a child - work on the economy. Nope, we can't do that. Instead, we just have to try to make it illegal, which will not stop abortions. If you are anti-abortion, you should be reasonable, and work within existing laws - rather than focusing on changing laws, work on why women get abortions and resolve those issues. The fact that it is legal for me to drive does not cause me to drive. The fact that it is legal for me to drink does not cause me to drink.

bgwmail, so you're willing to let everything else go to hell, including people dying from lack of services and a screwed-up economy? As llama726 has pointed out, by your actions you are making it quite probable that there will be more abortions.

As is evident from this debate and that on the debt ceiling, we are quickly reaching a point in this country where there will be no respect for our government institutions. There will be no respect for the federal courts if our elected representatives believe that they are entitled to appoint political hacks that represent only the views of their elected officials. And there will be no respect for our legislative bodies if their only purpose is to perserve the power of the loudest and most well funded within our society. I hope Obama spites the Kansas fascits and nominates Sebelius to the bench. The GOP better be praying to their god (not mine) that Obama doesn't win re-election (there will be consequenses).

VOTE THEM ALL OUT. None of them care about we, the people. They are bought and paid for. Of course since the local party folks control who gets on the ballot, the only way to do that would be through a write-in campaign. Wonder where that would take us?

It's time Americans took back their country from the extremists at both ends of the political spectrum. The fact is, most of us live on the middle ground. It's time our representatives did what they are paid to do - represent US, not corporations, special interests, and their own self-interest.

Judging by his response I believe that Senator Roberts was more than justified in blocking the nomination of Six. It might make you Lawrence folks upset but the vast majority of normal Kansans support him.

Unfortunately what you have completely overlooked is that words like "values" don't have any place in the duties and responsibilities of an appellate court justice. Their charge is purely in upholding and thoroughly understanding the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States. These attempts by our Senators to pervert the judicial process with partisan politics and, even worse, religion can only serve one purpose--undermining all of our inherent rights as American citizens and demeaning the "value" of our democracy.

I'm so sick of right wing losers thinking their religious bull puckey is what should drive our laws and all our institutions. That's absurd.

Roberts is a huge hypocrite, whine whine whine whine about nominees not getting up or down votes when his party nominated them, but he'll be a backdoor skunk in effort to keep a Dem's nominees off the bench.

Please DO NOT vote for either Moran or Roberts in the next election. It is clear they do not want to do what is best for Kansans, only what is best for their party. Six is one of the very best possible candidates for this position. The senators from Kansas are only doing what they are told to do by their party. They clearly are not doing what is best for the citizens (and voters) here.

These are the same mealy mouthed GOP Senators who will pounce on any and every opportunity to withhold funding for any government programs that provide health care and education to children who have already been born; who walk among us today with inadequate housing, nutrition and health care. Who live in neighborhoods with woefully underfunded schools. Who live in neighborhoods clouded with pollution and other threats to public health. Inconsistent? No, it's not about values for these guys and their ilk..........it is very much about social control. Limiting access to abortion has the greatest effects upon the poorest women. Women with adequate means have always been able to access safe abortions, even before Roe v. Wade. The GOP's policies across the board look like a cohesive plan to create a serf class in what is still, if only marginally, the richest nation in the world.

"The GOP's policies across the board look like a cohesive plan to create a serf class in what is still, if only marginally, the richest nation in the world."

Pretty much. It first became apparent to me shortly after GWB took office, but looking back I realize it started at least during the Reagon administration.

What they don't seem to realize is that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Without a vibrant middle class to buy stuff, eventually even the very wealthy will not be so well off. And at a certain point, when the serfs have no more to lose, there will be violence.

cheeseburger, nobody said atheism should drive anything but you, don't be a moron. Freedom of religion is just that, you need to grow up and accept that the US has never been, is not now and will never be a theocracy. Get over it.